We seek a committed and enthusiastic Finance Manager to join our dedicated Finance team. The successful candidate will be based at The Appleton School and will work under the direction of the Trust Head of Finance, playing a key role in ensuring the effective financial management of the school.

This is a key position responsible for overseeing budgets, forecasts, reporting, payroll, procurement and compliance, while providing accurate financial information to support senior leadership in decision‑making.

We are looking for a candidate with a strong background in finance, accounting or business management, ideally with a recognised professional qualification. You should have excellent numerical and ICT skills, strong organisational ability and the confidence to manage financial processes in a busy environment. The ability to remain calm under pressure, meet deadlines and communicate effectively across the school community is essential.

This is an excellent opportunity to further your career in financial management within the education sector. You will be joining a supportive team where your expertise will make a real impact on the future of the school.

Some of the responsibilities include:

• To manage effective systems of internal control.
• To manage all issues in accordance with Financial Regulations and the Academies Trust Handbook.
• To implement systems of financial control and to supervise them once in place.
• To have overall responsibility for the day-to-day financial management of the school including the preparation of management accounts and explanations for significant variances. This will include the identification of areas of concern and recommendations to address these.
• In conjunction with the Headteacher, to be responsible for advising the Senior Leadership Team and Governing Body on all aspects of the school’s finances and producing a commentary on the school’s financial performance alongside the monthly management accounts.
• To monitor actual budget against expenditure, identify and where possible resolve any significant variations, giving notice to the Headteacher/Governing Body about any irregularities.
• To work with the trust’s central team on the processing of payroll using Edupay and complete the monthly payroll reconciliation using our IMP Planner software.
• To support the Trust Head of Finance with the statutory audit. Prepare documentation necessary for the annual audit.

For more information please see the attached Applicant Information Pack

We offer our staff an excellent induction programme within a friendly and supportive environment, and are committed to providing high quality professional development. This enables continuous improvement in teaching and learning.

The Appleton School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. This post is subject to an enhanced DBS check.